Travel ÔnightmareÕ for low-vision sufferers

Fear of injury when travelling on the UKÕs public transport system has confined many partially sighted people to their homes, said a report published this week.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) said that thousands of the UKÕs two million blind and partially sighted population had given up going out on their own, and it believed a fatal accident was inevitable if the situation did not improve. The charity lists problems accessing public transport and the pedestrian environment as excluding factors.
According to the RNIB, elderly people in particular were suffering Ð it said almost two-thirds of blind or partially sighted older people were isolated because of difficulties travelling.
A spokesman for the charity said: ÔUnbelievably, under current legislation when a blind or partially sighted person puts a foot on a train or bus, the Disability Discrimination Act fails to allow a person to bring a claim of discrimination in relation to how they are treated.
ÔThe RNIB views this situation as totally unacceptable.Õ
In its report TravellersÕ Tales the RNIB includes individual stories of abuse, serious accidents and poor service. It recommends better service and access provision which, it is claimed, could transform the lives of partially sighted people who want to travel.
The RNIBÕs head of public policy, Steve Winyard, said: ÔMany blind and partially sighted people feel itÕs only a matter of time before somebody dies as the result of an accident when travelling. Hearing about accidents and injuries sustained by other passengers with sight problems has effectively put them off.Õ
He said the RNIBÕs campaign identified the Government, local authorities, transport operators, the police and the general public as all having a role to play.